By: Aslam Chandio from Islamabad, Pakistan
A meeting of the executive committee of Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) has reviewed matters of setting up Snooker academies in Sindh and Faisalabad, approved financial statements, reviewed performance of players and approved name of players for participating in the upcoming international events.
President PBSA Alamgir A. Shaikh and Chairman PBSA Ali Asghar Valika jointly presided the meeting on 24th July, but the PBSA informed media/press about its decisions taken during the meeting on Saturday.
The executive committee reviewed and approved the Financial Statements of the Association for the year ended 30th June 2013 for onward submission to the auditors for audit.
The executive committee received the report from the President, PBSA who had accompanied the team to China for IBSF World U-21 Snooker Championship 2013. The President PBSA informed the executive committee that the performance of players was good keeping in mind that two junior finalists were making their debut in an International Event. The President further informed the house that he was very much impressed to visit the WPBSA China Snooker Academy in Beijing where all the matches were being played. He also had a meeting with the Dean of the Academy, where he has finalized and arranged for four players from Pakistan to acquire training for a month at the WPBSA Snooker Academy in Beijing in the coming year 2014. The training of the players would cost around one million rupees, which the Association will have to arrange through the PSB and the IPC Ministry.
Alamgir A. Shaikh also informed the executive committee that the Snooker Academy in Beijing usually does not allow players from other countries to acquire training, but keeping in view the Pakistan-China relationship, they have agreed to allow the players from Pakistan for training at the Beijing Snooker Academy.
The President informed the executive committee that the construction of the boundary wall/gate on the PBSA plot for Sindh Snooker Academy had been completed and he sought approval for the topographical survey and sub-soil investigation of the plot, so that the survey and soil investigation report can be kept ready for submission to the KBCA as soon as the Association can arrange for the funds and the construction could be started immediately.
Alamgir A. Shaikh briefed the executive committee that the University of Agriculture , Faisalabad (UAF) has agreed to provide a Snooker Hall with proper air conditioning facility in their university premises for the establishment of the above Snooker Academy in Faisalabad to the PBSA. He told the house that an agreement would be signed between the UAF and the PBSA regarding the Snooker Academy immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr in UAF at a formal ceremony on 15th August 2013 in the presence of the press/media, Snooker Ranking players and PBSA officials. The MoU will be officially signed at the press conference by Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan, Vice Chancellor, UAF and Alamgir A. Shaikh. Further, the President said that the PBSA would be dispatching two Snooker Tables to Faisalabad for installation at the UAF. Then the executive committee approved the arrangements for the Snooker Academy in Faisalabad.
The executive committee approved the participation of the two players along with the Team Manager for participation in Sangsom 6-Red World Championship, that would be held in Bangkok, Thailan from 2nd September to 7th September this year. The two players had been nominated by the IBSF and the ACBS for their performances in the IBSF World Snooker Championship and Asian U-21 Snooker Championship are Muhammad Asif who is an IBSF World Snooker Champion, 2012 and Muhammad Majid Ali, who is an ACBS Asian U-21 Runner-Up, 2013. Jawed Karim has been appointed team manager for the said tour.
For IBSF World 6-Reds and Team Championships, that would be held in Carlow, Ireland from 29th September to 6th October, 2013, the executive committee also approved the participation of Muhammad Asif by virtue of his being the current World Champion as well as the Asian 6-Red Snooker Champion along with Muhammad Sajjad on the basis of his performance in the Asian Championship 2013.
Further, the executive committee finalized the exact dates for the 5th NBP event and issued tentative dates for 3rd and 4th Ranking Events of PBSA. According to the tentative schedule, 5TH NBP Ranking Snooker Championship will be held at NBP Sports Complex Karachi from 21st August to 27th August, 2013. Jubilee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship will be held in Karachi from 15th September to 30th September 2013 and Langnese 4th Ranking Snooker Cup will be held from 15th October to 30th October, 2013 in Karachi.
The meeting was attended by the executive committee members of the PBSA. With President PBSA Alamgir A. Shaikh and Chairman PBSA Ali Asghar jointly in chair, Sr. Vice President Abdul Wahid Qadir, Vice President Jawed H. Karim, Honorary Secretary Munawwar H. Shaikh, Joint Secretary Arif Taherbhoy, Technical Advisors Naveed Kapadia and Shoaib Alam Khan, Members A. Khalil Bachani, Amin P. Delawala, M. Amin Bawany, Nisar Ali Bhatat and Shabbir H. Daruwala also attended the meeting.